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.:Sushi Rice
Ingredients
· 1.5 cups (200 mL), Dry, short-grain Japanese rice
· 3 cups (400 mL), Water
· 1 sheet, Kombu Note: you don't have to use Kombu it's used to give the rice its
texture.
· 4 tablespoons (50 mL), Rice vinegar
· 2 tablespoons (25 mL), Sugar
· 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL), Salt
The proportions of ingredients in this recipe produce a typical dressing, but regional
variations exist, traditionally based on latitude and the season. In Tokyo, chefs often
uses a bit more salt; in Osaka, the dressing typically has more sugar. And, of course,
recipes vary with the style of the individual chef.
Utensils
· Rice cooker
· Hangiri (rice barrel), optional
· Shamoji (rice paddle), optional
· Fukin (cloth), optional
Instructions
About 30 minutes before starting, fill the hangiri with water and let it stand. The water
saturates the wood, which prevents the rice from sticking to it.
1. Make the vinegar dressing
1. Mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
2. Heat the mixture in a sauce pan until everything is dissolved, but do not boil.
3. Set aside to cool.
2. Cook the rice
1. Rinse the rice. Put the rice in the cooking pot, half filled with cold water, and
swirl it around with your hand. The water will turn chalky white. Carefully drain off the
water, and repeat the process several times, until the water remains clear.
2. Allow the rice to stand for 30 minutes. Some recipes say the rice should remain
in the cooking pot submerged in its cooking water; others say to transfer it temporarily
to a colander to drain.
3. Add a postcard-sized sheet of kombu to the cooking pot, and the sake if you
are using it.
4. Boil the water in the cooking pot.
5. Remove the kombu from the cooking pot just as the water boils, and reduce the
heat.
6. Simmer the water and rice in the cooking pot for 20 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat but do not remove cover from the cooking pot for 10 minutes
(no peeking).
3. Add the dressing to the rice. The rice and dressing should be mixed
immediately after the rice is finished cooking with dressing at room temperature.
1. Transfer the rice from the cooking pot to the hangiri; if you do not have one,
use a large bowl or cookie sheet.
2. Cut the vinegar dressing gently into rice with the paddle, trying not to break the
kernels. When finished, the rice is evenly coated with the dressing, giving it a shiny
appearance.
3. Cover the rice with a cloth for a couple of minutes so the dressing is absorbed.
4. Cool the rice to body temperature by fanning it, while continuing to stir it with
the spatula.
The faster the rice cools, the better. It is best if used quickly: you can use it to make
sushi for a few hours; it certainly cannot be prepared a day early.
Alternately rather than mix the vinegar and sugar and salt, packaged powdered sushi
vinegar can be used. It is added to the rice and mixed in while it is still warm
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